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Puzzles, Games and Name That Car => Solved AutoPuzzles => 2021 => Topic started by: fromwien on February 02, 2021, 07:32:30 PM
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Clean lines...
Please identify this car for one point
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cadillac?
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The car looks like a Caddy, but isn't... No
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European "Wanna-be-a-Caddy"?
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Not European
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Argentina maybe?
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No
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Modified production car like El Morocco?
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Yes, modified production car
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Some its lines resemble me Corvette C1...
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No
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Base car made in USA?
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Yes
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Made to resemble a Caddy in a movie?
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No
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Experts?
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1956 Thunderado, featured on a 1956 cover of Motor Life magazine. Built by Clark Alexander, of Miami, Florida, it is based on a 2-seat Ford Thunderbird with custom bodywork to resemble the 1957-58 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. but in convertible roadster form rather than a 4-door hardtop.
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La Espada Motorama showcar 1954 General Motors
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Twice no
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"1956 Thunderado, featured on a 1956 cover of Motor Life magazine. Built by Clark Alexander, of Miami, Florida, it is based on a 2-seat Ford Thunderbird with custom bodywork to resemble the 1957-58 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham. but in convertible roadster form rather than a 4-door hardtop."
Are you saying this answer is incorrect? Please re-check your sources.
https://mr-magazine.com/products/motor-life-october-1956-thunderado-052417nondbe (https://mr-magazine.com/products/motor-life-october-1956-thunderado-052417nondbe)
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Dear 'fyreline', for sure you found the correct car. Pardon, it has a completely different name in the magazine, I have!!!
The name 'Clark Alexandra' (not 'Alexander') is mentioned too, but not as the builder..
..and in my source, the car isn't based on a '56 T-Bird, but another more unusual chassis..
I cannot be sure, which is the correct one of the two sources.
Please be so kind and try to find out more. I want to award you with the point, and know as frustrating it can be, if you have found the right car, and the puzzle-creator asks for other details.
'Thunderado' may be a nick-name, based on the car's appearance. As there are some other creations around, wearing this logic composite-name...
LOCKED for you
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This car was pretty extensively covered in the automotive magazines of the time, and in retrospective articles since then. It is certainly a 2-seat Thunderbird chassis, just going by what can be seen in the photos . . . and Clark Alexander is correct, not Alexandra. I think your magazine had some bad information.
In the end, your puzzle, your choice. Do whatever you feel is right.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=37254 (https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=37254)
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I won't bother you anyway, but:
1) Your source (https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=37254) doesn't mention a '56 T-Bird-chassis. Or have I overseen something?
I have two proofs about another chassis.
2) Again two sources mention the name 'Clark Alexandra', only yours 'Clark Alexander'
If you have more proofs (as you said: 'extensively covered in the automotive magazines of the time'), which support your theory about a '56 T-Bird-chassis (as your mag-article doesn't in my opinion), please tell me. I am eager to follow from an imagination or theory to the result.
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The following is from the excellent and extensive Cadillac Database web site, which has existed for many years to document any and all vehicles even remotely related to the Cadillac. I'm willing to bet you could find many interesting and challenging cars there for future puzzles. That's where I first saw the Thunderado many years ago, and I remembered it when you posted your puzzle. Here's what they had to say:
"This would-be Eldorado Brougham convertible was featured on the cover of Motor Life for October 1956. As you can see from the size of the gentleman at the wheel, it is a much smaller car than the Brougham. In fact it is built on the chassis of a 1956 Ford Thunderbird.
Again, your puzzle, your choice. I am satisfied that I found and correctly identified the puzzle car. Thanks for posting it.
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Thanks for interesting information and kind words. I hope, you will not feel disappointed, to open the puzzle for all again..
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Some more pictures
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No problem. Appreciate your puzzles.
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Thank you very much for your appreciation.
I will move up this puzzle to the 'Professionals'. Let us see, what happens..
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Another picture:
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Dear 'Carnut',
this is the same magazine-cover 'fyreline' found sometimes before. This cover shows the puzzle-car for sure. As I told to him too. I didn't award 'fyreline' with the point by now, as I am still waiting for the remaining answers.
I took the car out from another 1-page-article from an different magazine.
With a complete different name. Furthermore I ask for the base, builder and owner of the car
I cannot be sure, which of the two sources shows the correct name.
For owner and base car I have two identical sources.
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Yes, I only posted the picture so it showed within the thread rather than via link posted by fyreline, which in time will disappear off the 'Net.
I did find this about the Thunderado though:
"The man George Ikered , that built the Thunderado / Spook, had what we'd call cool out of the box thinking".
Seems it's also referred to as The Spook, although most places the car is featured do call it the Thunderado for obvious reasons.
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Now we get much closer to the solution:
1) Yes, George Ikerd is the builder of the car.
2) To find the owner will be a very easy task now..
3) Which chassis was the car's base?
4) For the name: Yes, I know about these two names.. Thunderado and Spook, but sadly, there is a third one..
LOCKED for you
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Thanks.
I'll see what if I can find if you can leave it with me for a few days.
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Yes, fine 'carnut'
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Thanks. These are the answers I can find:
1. The car was built by George Ikered at his Ikered Custom Auto Body workshop in Miami, Florida and was commissioned by Clark Alexander.
2. Is the owner Phil Sheehan? (But see below). It most certainly isn’t easy to find the name of the car’s owner!
3. The car was built on the standard Ford chassis of the time, on which all US Fords were based. The standard wheelbase was 115.5 inches but it was shortened to 104 inches for this car.
4. Fyreline has supplied one name and I have supplied another, both names the car has been known as during its lifetime. Despite extensive searching I have failed to find a third name for it. I thought I might have succeeded when I found another Thunderado which was also known as the Eldo Bird (or Eldobird), but that is a different Thunderado based on a 1965 Ford Thunderbird with a Pontiac 389 cu. in. V8 so it can’t be the third name of your puzzle car.
As an extra piece of information the puzzle car is/was powered by a 1955 Cadillac V8.
I would just say that in your original post you asked “Please identify this car for one point”. Fyreline answered that question correctly to start with and provided the name it’s called in most articles. I then gave another name which the car was apparently known as soon after it was first built, although I can’t find a single article which refers to the car by that name. So both fyreline and I have answered your original question, giving its two most common names.
You must ask all the questions for which you need the answers for the point in your original post, but you can of course introduce more questions later if you find out more information you didn’t have when posting at the outset; in that case you must give a point to whoever answers your original question/s correctly and then a further point for whoever answers your new questions.
I don’t mind looking for the owner or for a third name at all but they are not questions you originally asked so you must acknowledge that your original question has been answered and award points for solving your (excellent!) puzzle.
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I entirely agree with the above post by Carnut.
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Dear Carnut:
ad 1. In my opinion, partly correct
ad 2. Phil Sheehan: No, isn't easy to find: Yes
ad 3. It was not built on a 115.5 inches Ford chassis of the time. But shortened to 104 inches, yes... So Fyreline's theory, a '56 T-Bird chassis has been used, comes up with a math problem: The '56 T-Bird-chassis' wheelbase measures 102 inches
ad 4. Due to my profession, it is sometimes necessary to investigate more closely. The first approach is not always the right one. That's why I like to set puzzles where I know from the start that there are several possible answers. In a discussion, it would be quite possible to get a result. However, that doesn't seem to be possible on this page.
Cadillac engine is correct!
Answer to: ...your original post you asked “Please identify this car for one point”. Fyreline answered that question correctly....
Yes, I admit a mistake here, as I assumed that a puzzle-car isn't identified with a simple attribution. On the other hand, I am happy about it, as I will point this out in future answers to puzzles in order to get rid of senseless cheap points.
Assumed that this is a community that is interested in cars, not just in worthless points that you put on your shirt without actually understanding the purpose of the game
I was in need to remove some of my puzzles, due to this common question-text “Please identify this car for one point”, I used for them. As you say in your statement, I have to add all the questions I am asking for, as soon as I start a new topic! Perfect! I will do so. Will take a little bit longer, to specify every new puzzle, will be less fun and quite a lot of additional work, but you will get a legally correct puzzle-text. It's only for pure pleasure.
In the future, too, I will take great care to only answer those questions that are correct and complete in the question text when puzzling others. No more!
So, now to the world championship point distribution, the real purpose of this puzzle.
No matter what is right or wrong,
...'fyreline' gets one point and
...'Carnut' gets one point
But you are welcome to look at the appendix to this puzzle. Whether right or wrong remains a mystery, as I do not want to and will not write any further comment
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Thanks fromwien.
Alexandra Special! I don't know if it was called that anywhere else so it may or may not have been a name that was actually used.
I note that magazine is not too good at spelling: other sites say the car was commissioned by Clark Alexander..
Also that magazine calls the builder George Ikerd, whilst his name was actually George Ikered.
I'm not sure that name is 100% reliable!
When I first started at AutoPuzzles in the dim and distant past I was taken to task a few times for wanting answers I hadn't asked for in my initial post. Hence you will notice I always ask for every item I need (e.g. "What is this car, built by whom, when and powered by what?") so that everyone knows what they have to look for..
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Will do so with future puzzles.
Will deal more again with real automobile historians and enthusiasts. Some of whom I found here and closed very nice acquaintance, which I don't want to miss anymore,...
This is the glory side of AutoPuzzles.com